Microsoft Kills Windows Live Mesh

The service will be shut down in February 2013, the company announced

Windows Live Mesh, Microsoft’s file synchronization and remote desktop application, will be retired on February 13, 2013, so all users are now recommended to make the move to SkyDrive.

The decision to retire this new service was pretty simple, Microsoft said, as SkyDrive is now integrated into devices and apps “in a way that makes saving to the cloud, or using your cloud files, simple and seamless.”

What’s more, the number of users still relying on Windows Live Mesh has dropped significantly in the last couple of years, mostly because users have decided to switch to SkyDrive. Or at least, that’s what Microsoft claims.

“So while Windows Live Mesh was at one point used by a few million people, most have made the move and there are now less than 25,000 active users of Windows Live Mesh,” David Kornfield, product marketer, said.

“We’re announcing today that Windows Live Mesh will be officially retired on February 13, 2013, and we’re starting to communicate with the remaining Mesh users and provide a set of instructions on how to keep their files in sync and alternative options for some of the features they’re still using.”

The company has also released a small guide on how to access three of the main Windows Live Mesh features in SkyDrive, thus trying to make the transition easier for all users.

Windows Live Messenger will be shut down in early 2013 and all users would have to make the switch to Skype and its integrated Messenger, as the company tries to mix the two platforms and thus provide a much more reliable and effective instant messaging solution.